"God Willing” is a documentary short film following the life of Palestinian woman, Mais Rosol Abu Saa. The film was selected to be screened during Aspen Film’s ShortsFest film festival. Aspen Public Radio Arts reporter Patrick Fort spoke with director Gayle Embrey about how she found Mais and how cultural differences allowed Embrey to learn about this woman.

The Aspen Film ShortsFest lineup was announced by the art organization yesterday. The festival includes 78 films (only about 60 are competing) including everything from animation to dramas and comedies.

After the screening of Rolling Papers during the 2015 Aspen Film Fest, Aspen Film artistic director Maggie Mackay led a panel discussion with the film's director Mitch Dickman, The Cannabist’s Jake Brown, Aspen City Councilman Adam Frisch, and Kyle Vetter, manager of Native Roots Dispensary in Aspen.

The non profit Aspen Film announced Wednesday its co-directors are leaving. After 20 years at the helm, married couple Laura Thielen and George Eldred are stepping down.

Thielen and Eldred have been part of Aspen Film for more than half of the non-profit’s existence. It formed in 1979 to educate and entertain through film. Each season it holds major movie events. Thielen says she and Eldred have worked hard to bring Aspen Film to where it is today: financially healthy and well-regarded.

Aspen Film’s annual celebration of features takes to screens in Aspen and Carbondale over the next week. The screenings start today and run through Wednesday. Aspen Public Radio’s Rob St. Mary talked to co-director of Aspen Film Laura Thielen about the festival’s 35th year.

Actor and director William H. Macy has just released his directorial debut, "Rudderless". He and his wife, actress Felicity Huffman, will be speaking & screening the film at Paepcke Auditorium on Saturday night as part of Aspen Film's summer season.

RUDDERLESS is a poignant musical drama about the power of a parent's love. Sam (Billy Crudup) is a former high-profile advertising executive whose life has been torn apart by the tragic death of his son. Off the grid, living on a docked sailboat, he drowns his pain in alcohol. When Sam discovers a box filled with his son's demo tapes and lyrics, his own child's musical talent is a revelation for him, a grieving father who felt he'd been absent from his son's life. Communing with his deceased son's dashed dreams, Sam learns each song and eventually musters the will to play one at a local bar. When Quentin, a young musician in the audience, is captivated by the song, the unlikely duo form a rock band that becomes surprisingly popular and changes both of their lives.

A searing performance from Billy Crudup leads an exemplary cast that includes Anton Yelchin as Quentin, plus Selena Gomez, Laurence Fishburne and Felicity Huffman. Casey Twenter and Jeff Robison's potent screenplay was the launching pad for Macy's auspicious debut as a feature film director.

Writing for the Screen: How to Create Characters and Keep Your Friends

What's the creative core of every film and TV story? The script. Once again, in partnership with the Writers Guild Foundation, we're delighted to present an entertaining discussion with a talented group of award-winning writers whose collective experiences cover television and film, comedy and drama. How are story and series ideas created? How do writers find their characters and motivations? What are the unique aspects and challenges of writing for film or television? Join us for a spirited and illuminating conversation with an engaging set of screenwriters. Participants confirmed at press time: Peter Blake (Elementary, House M.D.), Craig Borten (Dallas Buyers Club), and David Pollock (M*A*S*H).

A group of kids are traveling to Haiti as part of the Haiti School Project, a non-profit started by Carbondale builder Tim Myers after the devastating earthquake. Also, Laura Thielen from Aspen Film with her picks for the Academy Awards.

President Barack Obama made an announcement today about the battle in Congress.

One of the first deadlines for so called retail marijuana is fast approaching. By next Tuesday, October 1st, local communities are supposed to decide if they’re going to allow the pot to be grown, sold, and otherwise available in the community in the coming year.

“It’s pretty much going to be clustered in just a handful of areas. Denver and Boulder I think are the big cities, and then there’s mountain communities as well.”

John Ingold is a reporter for the Denver Post. He’s keeping an eye on how the state is getting ready for retail marijuana and says even pot-friend places like Denver questions remain.

“There is concern about advertising, distances from schools, zoning, those kinds of things.”

Aspen Public Radio takes a look at a unique documentary showing at the Aspen Filmfest. It takes viewers inside one of the nation’s busiest emergency rooms where patients often wait hours for care.

And on the Download this week, we explore glitches with new iPhones, brainwashing kids to pay for movies & music and other unusual ventures in education.